Punahou's Micah Ma'a setups Noah Hayashida for a kill against Kamehameha. Evan Asato | SL

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Punahou's Tui Tuileta had 25 total kills against Kamehameha. Evan Asato | SL

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Kamehameha's Cullen Mosher tries to get a kill attempt past the block of Punahou's Kupono Fey. Peter Caldwell | SL

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Punahou players celebrate after winning a set. Evan Asato | SL

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It was a match so good, its a shame that there had to be a loser.

A crowd of at least 300 at Kekuhaupi'o Gymnasium were treated to what was the match of the year thus far in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, and arguably in the state of Hawai'i, as Punahou outlasted Kamehameha in five nail biting sets, 23-25, 24-19, 23-25, 27-25, 15-12, to win their nine straight ILH league title.

"Best played match this year for sure. Kamehameha played a heck of a match, they executed, they were a little wobbly on Tuesday but were solid as a rock today." said Punahou head coach Rick Tune. "Just thankfully we earned a couple more (points) than they did."

Kamehameha won the opening set 25-23, as setter Puna Kaniho dished out 15 assists, connecting with Cullen Mosher on 6 of those, including the set-winner that bounded off the tape and landed just in on the cross court attack.

But offense aside, it was the outstanding floor defense by both teams that stood out. Kamehameha's Kaehu Ka'a'a finished the set with 5 digs, equalled by Punahou libero Colin Peros.

Peros finished the match with a match-high 17 digs, while across the net Ka'a'a dug up 16 and libero Mike Horita an impressive 15 digs before leaving early in the fourth with what appeared to be leg cramps.

"It all starts with the pass, and Michael (Horita) does a good job on his side, I don't know how he can stay down on Tui and dig them up like nothing but, those transition plays are what its all about." said Peros.

The Buffanblu controlled much of set two, extending to a 23-16 lead late on a Micah Ma'a kill and reaching set point at a rather comfortable 24-16 following a Kamehameha net violation.

Set two would not be surrendered without a fight, and the Warriors battled back, staving off three straight aloha balls, one of them a resounding kill by Mosher to trim the lead to 24-19, forcing Punahou to burn a timeout.

Out of the the timeout, Makana Harrison's third block of the match trimmed the Buffanblu lead to just four, but the home team would not get any closer. Despite a miraculous one-handed save by Horita to keep the point alive, senior Kupono Fey took a Ma'a set and slammed the door shut on set two, 25-20.

In the third set, Kamehameha led by a seemingly comfortable 21-16 margin late in the set, but Punahou come roaring back, with a 5-0 scoring spurt to tie things up, capped off by back-to-back blocks by Ma'a and Tui Tuileta.

The set continued to hang in the balance until 23-all, when a Nick Ng kill brought the Warriors to set point, and a miscue on the subsequent point by the Buffanblu put a quiet end to the third, 25-23.

Moving to the pivotal fourth, Kamehameha once again led by a seemingly comfortable 4 point margin, but saw the lead quickly cut in half thanks to a Tuileta kill followed by a block on the left edge by reserve Trent Thompson.

The Warriors inched tantalizingly closer to victory at 23-21, as Ng showed some nice touch on an attack, placing it perfectly in the back right corner for the kill.

Punahou teetered back into the lead on a Ma'a ace at 25-24, but knotted things back up on a hitting error on the next point. A kill attempt on at 25-all went wide for the Warriors, opening the door for the win to the Buffanblu and Ma'a, who found Noah Hayashida for his fifth kill of the set to force a decisive fifth.

In the fifth set, it was Kamehameha one more time, shooting out to an 8-4 cushion before Punahou chipped away at the lead, closing to 9-7 on a pair of Warrior miscues. Daniel Andrews, who enjoyed a coming out party of sorts, notched his 14th kill of the match to trim the lead to just one at 10-9, and a Tuileta kill two points later gave the Buffanblu their first lead in the fifth at 11-10.

"He's growing, right before your eyes." said Tune of Andrews. "He had a great understanding of what had to happen and he just went out and executed. Technically speaking, its the best he's ever been."

A Harrison kill out of a Kamehameha timeout kept the Warriors within striking distance at 12-11, but another miscue by the Warriors, the seventh in the set was followed up by a Tuileta kill to bring Punahou to match point.

Kamehameha denied the first chance by Punahou with a Harrison kill, but the second time would be the charm for the Buffanblu, who turned to Tuileta for his 5th kill of the set, and 25th of the match, to end it.

"This is a really good match for us, for a sneak peek of what's coming next week." said Tuileta.

Both teams will represent the ILH in the New City Nissan/HHSAA Division I Boys Volleyball tournament, with Punahou receiving the seeded berth, and with it, a first round bye.